NC State University’s
*New*
Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
Rhonda Sutton, PhD, LPC
Director
Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
Background Information
• Created August 1, 2008
• Recommendation from the 2003/04
Postdoctoral Task Force
• Housed within the Graduate School
• Reports to Dr. Rebeca Rufty, Associate Dean
• Position is ¾ time (30 hours a week)
Number of Postdocs at NC State University
Total = 313 (as of 10.30.2008)
Number of Postdocs in Each College
120
# of Postdocs
100
96
94
80
58
60
42
40
20
14
7
0
CVM
CALS
PAMS
CoE
CNR
Colleges
CoT
1
DSN
1
CED
Office of Postdoctoral Affairs:
Vision and Mission
Vision:
enhance, support and promote
the postdoctoral experience at NC State
Mission:
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create and strengthen identity
advocacy
professional development
assist with NSF mentoring requirement
clearinghouse of information
promote core competencies from
the National Postdoctoral Association
Office of Postdoctoral Affairs:
Current Activities
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Updating and improving website (http://postdocs.ncsu.edu)
Identifying postdocs
Creation and utilization of postdoc list serve
Forming postdoctoral association
Informational interviews with postdocs
Creating faculty advisory committee
Professional development programs/developmental model
Career counseling and assistance with questions/concerns
Meeting with key people across campus
NSF requirements/IDP
Policy development
Potential collaborations with Sigma Xi
Meetings: Introduction to Campus
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Associate deans in all colleges contacted (have met with
CALS; COT; CVM; DSN)
HR/Benefits Research Administration Office of
International Services
University Career Center and CALS Career Services
Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty and Staff Diversity
Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
Department Heads Steering Committee Meeting on
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
University Research Committee Meeting on Wednesday,
October 15, 2008
Meetings: Off Campus
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Molly Starback, Director of Office of
Postdoctoral Services, Duke University
Sibby Anderson-Thompkins (and staff),
Director of Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, UNCChapel Hill
Dr. Wendy Perry, Director of Graduate and
Postdoctoral Professional Development
Programs, UVA
Katie Lord, Director of Marketing and
Communications and Phillip Cates, Director of
Organizational Advancement, Sigma Xi
Postdoc Association and Faculty
Advisory Group
Postdoc Meetings Held Thus Far:
• Wednesday, September 3, 2008
• Thursday, September 4, 2008
• Wednesday, September 17, 2008
• Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Faculty Advisory Committee Meeting:
• Monday, November 24, 2008
OPA Faculty Advisory Committee
Dr. Alex Smirnov, Chemistry
Dr. David Tarpy, Entomology
Dr. Donald Brenner, Materials Engineering
Dr. Ken Adler, Molecular & Biomedical Sciences
Dr. Linda Hanley-Bowdoin, Biochemistry
Dr. Matt Ronning, Research Administration
Dr. Melissa Pasquinelli, Textile Eng., Chem. & Science
Dr. Paul Franzon, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Dr. Paul Maggard, Chemistry
Dr. Ralph Dean, Plant Pathology
Dr. Rebeca Rufty, Graduate School
Dr. Stephanie Curtis, Genetics
Professional Development
Programs for Postdocs
Wednesday, November 5, 2008: Finding Your Way
to Academia: Stories from Assistant
Professors (panel discussion)
Friday, November 14, 2008: Jobs in Industry:
Insights from a Recruiter (Kelly Scientific
Resources)
Tuesday, January 27, 2009: Fundamentals of
Teaching
Tuesday, April 14, 2009: Tales from Both Sides of
the Bench: Suggestions for Managing a Lab
(panel discussion)
NSF Mentoring Requirement
NSF proposals requesting "funding to support postdoctoral researchers
must include, as a separate section within the 15-page Project Description,
a description of the mentoring activities that will be provided for such
individuals. Examples of mentoring activities include, but are not limited to:
career counseling; training in preparation of grant proposals; publications
and presentations; guidance on ways to improve teaching and mentoring
skills; guidance on how to effectively collaborate with researchers from
diverse backgrounds and disciplinary areas; and training in responsible
professional practices. The proposed mentoring activities will be evaluated
as part of the merit review process under the Foundation's broader impacts
merit review criterion. Proposals that do not include a separate section on
mentoring activities within the Project Description will be returned without
review." (Section II.C.2.d.i)
(http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/pappguide/nsf09_1/gpg_index.jsp )
Individual Development Plan
Adapted and used with permission from the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
(FASEB) Science Policy Committee
Goals of the IDP: helps the postdoctoral scholar identify long-term career options
he or she wishes to pursue and the necessary tools to meet these; offers short
term goals for improving current performance
Pre-IDP: Postdoc conducts a self-assessment; talks with mentor about available
opportunities and chooses the opportunities that helps meet goals and
developmental needs
Write IDP: the IDP maps out general path the postdoc wants to take and helps
match strengths and skills to career choices; it is a changing document and
needs review by mentor on a regular basis to discuss revisions; establishes goals
and defines approaches to obtain the specific skills and strengths the postdoc
wishes to acquire during the postdoctoral appointment
Some Input from Current Postdocs
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We feel “invisible” and wonder if we really matter to the
university.
It's important to have an office here at NCSU because we
previously didn't have one, and it shows that NCSU is
serious about developing postdocs and not just exploiting
our status. In addition, having a large campus like we do,
the office helps to pull us all together so we can meet other
postdocs not necessarily in our department.
The presence of such an office or organization is one of the
things that I think people do take into consideration when
they are looking at universities to post doc at. I definitely
noted which universities had post doc associations or not
when I was looking around.
I’m from UC Davis and the first thing I did was try to locate
the postdoc office when I came here.
Office of Postdoctoral Affairs:
Contact Information
The Graduate School
221 Research Building III
Centennial Campus
1005 Capability Drive
Box 7102
Phone: 919.515.0326
E-mail: rhonda_sutton@ncsu.edu
Web: http://postdocs.ncsu.edu/
Postdoc Office: Peer Institutions
Cornell University
University of Florida
Pennsylvania State University
University of California – Davis
University of Minnesota
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Postdoc Offices: South
University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Duke University
Wake Forest University
University of Alabama
University of Kentucky
University of Virginia
Vanderbilt University
Virginia Commonwealth
Postdoc Offices: Throughout U.S.
Arizona State University
Boston College
Boston University
California Institute of Technology
Case Western
Columbia University
Emory University
Georgetown University
Harvard University
Johns Hopkins University
Massachusetts Inst. of Technology
Northwestern University
Princeton University
Rice University
Stanford University
Temple University
Tufts University
University of California – Berkeley
University of California - Davis
University of California - Irvine
University of California – Los Angeles
University of California - Riverside
University of California – San Diego
University of California – San Francisco
University of California – Santa Cruz
University of Chicago
University of Cincinnati
University of Massachusetts
University of Michigan
University of Nebraska
University of Southern California
Washington State University
Yale University
National Postdoctoral Association:
Postdoctoral Core Competencies
1. Scientific Knowledge
2. Research Skills Development
3. Communication Skills (writing, speaking,
interpersonal communication, special
situations)
4. Professionalism (personal, social, workplace,
institutional, collegial, and universal)
5. Leadership/Management Skills
6. Responsible Conduct of Research
The Developmental Process for Postdocs
***Draft***
Phase 1: Adaptation
Postdocs adapting to a new role that lies somewhere beween that of
graduate student and faculty member or (independent) research scientist.
Phase 2: Augmentation
Postdocs recognize need for professional development; can identify areas of
weakness. More earnest focus on career goals.
Phase 3: Amalgamation
Final phase of the postdoctoral experience. Goal is to have research and/or
teaching skills that have been developed coalesce with the professional
development acquired at the university.
Phase 4: Benefaction
Former postdoc “gives back” by sharing wisdom and insights with current
postdocs.